4 Things You Can Do In Your Home Right Now To Improve Your Health

Four years ago I hosted “GOT WELLNESS?”; a wellness event for women at the Old Town Theater in Alexandria, Virginia. The event was born from what I saw as a need to provide women, typically the wellness decision makers for their homes, with vital information about improving their health, and the health of their families.

I have long been encouraging my friends and family to take control of their health through knowledge of alternative health practices and the power at the end of their forks. Despite my passion about the topic, my practice and coaching others to wellness, I am not a doctor. As such, I wasn’t always able to get everyone to pay attention. So, I set about assembling a team with impeccable integrative-medical credentials to explain the importance of using EVERY available resource, from traditional medicines and medicinal lifestyle practices to modern medicine, as a way to achieve optimum wellness.

I convinced the accomplished Integrative Doctor Marie Steinmetz to participate as the keynote speaker. Dr. Steinmetz’s Family Practice was well respected long before she became one of the first Integrative physicians in the D.C area to have graduated from the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Her practice was built on integrative wellness and functional medicine; taking a whole patient approach to creating optimum health and wellness. The event sold out quickly, and it was clear that women wanted more information about the best choices for themselves and their families when it came to preventive wellness.

Be your own best health advocate through knowledge and the practice of creating your own wellness micro-climate.

The statistics are dire. Half of all adults in the US have one or more chronic diseases. Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer comprise six of the ten leading causes of death. These are modern diseases have flourished amidst sedentary lifestyles and the Standard American Diet (SAD).

The stakes have never been higher for being proactive and taking control of your health.

The good news is there are many things in our personal environments that are a good starting point for taking control of future wellness — little everyday things that can have a big impact over time, because they are cumulative. It is important to remember that there are very few neutral things in our environment; most things have a positive or negative effect on our bodies. The goal is to minimize the negative and maximize the positive, putting the health odds ever in your favor.

4 Things You Can Do Right Now To Improve Your Wellness Microclimate

1. Take Off Your Shoes When You Come Inside.
Fecal matter, fungal spores, human skin flakes, hair, animal dander, dust mites, pollen, pesticides, lead dust and insect fragments are a few of the harmful toxins that are currently present in your home. According to a research, about 40% of these contaminants are brought in your household from the outside. These get stuck on your pets, clothing, and especially shoes. Create a place to leave shoes at the door and have house shoes for family and friends.

2. Toss The Teflon Cookware
Fluropolymers such as polytetrafluoroetheylene (PTFE) and substances containing polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl compounds (PFAs) are commonly used to create conventional, non-stick cooking surfaces. These materials are toxic and highly resilient, with both the human body and also the wider environment. When exposed to heat, most non-stick cookware becomes a source of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is a long-chain chemical compound that has been linked to a frightening range of health problems including thyroid disease, infertility in women, organ damage and developmental and reproductive problems. Instead, purchase a safe non-stick pan like Greenpan, Mercola or Scanpan brands.

3. Ditch The Flouride Toothpaste And Mouthwash
Over 95% of the toothpaste sold in the U.S. contains fluoride; with many stores carrying few, if any, non-fluoridated brands. The use of fluoride in dental products, particularly during early childhood, presents health risks. This is why the FDA requires a poison warning on every tube of fluoride toothpaste now sold in the US.
Risks from ingesting fluoride toothpaste include permanent tooth discoloration (dental fluorosis), stomach ailments, acute toxicity, skin rashes (perioral dermatitis), and impairment in glucose metabolism. Fluoride is also a known neurotoxin and impairs thyroid function. Switch to an organic brand of toothpaste that uses minimal chemicals to get the job done. Jason (for adults and children), Tom’s Of Maine, Primal Life Organics and Earthpaste are all acceptable.

4. Filter Your Water
“Clean” drinking water from your kitchen tap has come from an exterior water source that has been potentially subject to pesticides and industrial run-off. It then travels through miles of pipeline, picking up contaminants along the way. It’s been disinfected with potential carcinogens like chlorine, ammonia and or chloramines; then “fortified” with fluoride. Drinking, showering and bathing every day with this chemical mix affects your health. The environmental organization The Environmental Working Group spent three years investigating America’s drinking water and the results were shocking. They found that roughly 85% of the population was using tap water laced with over 300 contaminants, many with unknown, long-term effects, and more than half of which aren’t even regulated by the EPA. The best option is buy a whole-house filtration system; but you can start with a counter-top filter drinking pitcher and start drinking safer water today.

These 4 actionable tips are easy, affordable, and will positively impact your health. Click here to read other ways to detoxify your home.

Disclosure: All of the products linked above are my recommendations. This is not a sponsored post by any brand but I may receive a commission on sales if you choose to purchase them.

You Might Also Like...

I am a passionate advocate for food as medicine, life navigator and culinary coach. This is my space for sharing what excites, inspires and motivates me to live my best life. It began as a recipe blog for nourishing, simple, weekday meals and has become something much bigger… a guide for vibrant longevity. I am excited to share my knowledge of how daily habits can cumulatively help you to live like you mean it and age like you want to.